Wednesday, November 17, 2010


Plastic pig banned from UK toy set for fear of offending Muslims

Trying to drag Jews into it is a lot of rubbish. Jews have their own dietary laws for themselves but they don't try to tell others what to do

Toy shop bosses removed a plastic pig from a children's toy farm set because they feared it would upset Muslim and Jewish parents. A mother who complained to toy store Early Learning Centre (ELC) when she found the pig missing was told it had been removed for "religious reasons," British newspaper The Sun reported.

The mother, named only as Caroline, found there was no pig with the cow, sheep, chicken, horse and dog in the store's HappyLand Goosefeather Farm. Caroline, who brought the toy for her daughter's first birthday, said the farm set still contained an empty sty and a button that made an oinking noise when pressed.

But after writing to ELC's customer services she got an email reply admitting the pig was removed in case it upset Muslim or Jewish parents. Both religions ban the eating of pork because they consider the pig an unclean animal.

The email said: "Previously the pig was part of the Goosefeather Farm. However due to customer feedback and religious reasons this is no longer part of the farm."

ELC confirmed it had taken the pig out of the set when contacted by The Sun. A spokesman said: "The decision to remove the pig was taken in reaction to customer feedback in some parts of the world."

But later they said they would replace the pig in the set but no longer sell it in international markets where it may create offence.

SOURCE




British Tories to axe 'ridiculous' equality law

Theresa May will today scrap a ‘ridiculous’ Harriet Harman equality law dubbed ‘socialism in one clause’. The controversial rule would have forced town halls to take into account inequalities when making policy decisions.

But in a speech today, the Home Secretary will say the law would have led to more bureaucracy and people in better-off areas missing out on valued services.

Mrs May had until next year to decide whether to implement the rule which was part of the Labour deputy leader’s Equality Act. Now she has ruled it will be ditched. The Home Secretary will say: ‘Just look at the socio-economic duty which Harriet Harman slipped into the Equality Act at the last minute. Many have called it socialism in one clause.

‘Harman’s Law, as it affectionately came to be known, was meant to force public authorities to take into account disadvantage and inequalities when making decisions about their policies. 'In reality, it would have been just another bureaucratic box to be ticked. At its worst, it could have meant public spending permanently skewed towards certain parts of the country.

‘Council services like bin collections and bus routes designed not on the basis of practical need but on this one politically-motivated target.’

She said Labour thought they could make things better ‘by simply passing a law saying that they should be made better'. ‘That was as ridiculous as it was simplistic and that is why we are announcing that we are scrapping Harman’s Law for good.’

The Coalition has implemented other parts of the Equality Act. One created ‘third party harassment’, under which workers can sue over banter they find offensive, even if aimed at someone else. Critics said it signalled the end of the office joke.

Mrs May still has to decide on another clause from the Act. ‘Equal pay audits’ would force firms to reveal how much they pay men compared to women.

SOURCE






How to win friends and influence people

Britain's Labour party needs a substantial slice of the middle-class vote to win elections. But in all the Leftist hate that sometimes gets forgotten

A Labour frontbencher has launched an astonishing attack on middle-class voters, branding them liars, racists, drunkards and even paedophiles. Eric Joyce, the party’s Northern Ireland spokesman, condemned the public for attacking lying politicians when they themselves may be ‘living lies’ at home.

In his rant, Mr Joyce condemned ‘articulate and intelligent’ parents for putting the interests of their own children over those of the poor. He accused parents of hypocrisy for condemning drug use while drinking too much and said that MPs were right to appeal to the worst instincts of voters, including racism.

Mr Joyce even condemned attitudes to the danger of paedophiles, pointing out that most sex offenders target young victims within their own families.

He delivered his outburst in an article called Liar, Know Thyself for the website Labour Uncut. He spoke out after shamed former minister Phil Woolas was ousted by an election court for whipping up racial tensions with false claims about his opponent.

Mr Joyce said: ‘Here’s the truth. It’s hard to lie as a politician because everything we say is subject to enormous scrutiny. ‘But politicians know the lies a lot of people live and they pitch to you accordingly. ‘There’s a lot of lying going on, for sure. But [critics] might want to reflect on who is really doing the lying.’

The Falkirk MP said the middle classes ‘hunt for the best deal they can get for those they love’ and then ‘avert their eyes from the reality that if they win some others will lose’ and ‘put together ropey arguments whose main function is to mitigate their guilt’.

The outburst backs up Tory claims that Labour is not the party of aspiration and has a lax attitude toward hard drugs. Michael Fallon, the party’s deputy chairman, said: ‘This extraordinary online rant demonstrates contempt for the electorate. ‘Yet again, it calls Ed Miliband’s judgment into question. Only a few weeks ago he appointed Eric Joyce to Labour’s front bench.’

Mr Joyce accused parents of condemning drug use among the young while drinking heavily themselves. ‘Alcohol does immeasurably more societal and personal damage than ecstasy; but it’s available on tap,literally, while ecstasy’s an A-class drug,’ he wrote.

‘Many people support “the war on drugs” knowing that … it’s completely ineffectual, while doing their own impressive bit for the Treasury down at the pub. ‘So they feel OK for their pain-free opposition to “bad” substance abuse by the generation behind them while indulging themselves on the stuff their own generation deems OK.’

Tacitly accusing voters, like those who backed Mr Woolas, of racism, Mr Joyce said: ‘When desperate politicians in some tightly-fought marginals are tempted into grey areas of language and insinuation, they’re barking up the wrong tree. But on the other hand, perhaps they’re not.’

And in comments that many parents will find insulting, he said: ‘What about, say, child abuse? How much does “stranger danger” dominate public discourse, when the overwhelming majority of it takes place in the household?’

Sources close to the Opposition leader revealed that Mr Joyce will be disciplined by party whips. A Labour spokesman said: ‘Our top priority is to look out for the people of Britain. We have the highest respect for every voter – no matter who they support.’

A chastened Mr Joyce sought to backtrack last night. He said: ‘I was simply saying that issues are not always as straightforward as they seem. I have the highest respect for the public and I would never insult voters.’

Mr Joyce was elected to Parliament in 2005 and achieved notoriety as the MP with the largest expenses. [The pot calling the kettle black]

SOURCE





Loss of values a problem both for kids and for society

Comment from Australia

I’m mourning the demise of what I call the “respect your elders” values of kids today. But I don’t blame them. I blame a new generation of mamby-pamby (not sure that’s a real term but you know what I mean) parents who want to be a child’s friend rather than a parent. I’ve had these concerns for a while, but they’ve been brought to a head by a couple of recent incidents.

First was that story last week about the Queensland 15 year old pulled over by police for not wearing a helmet while riding his bike. Rather than fine the kid or give him a warning, they made him let down his tires and walk home to ensure he didn’t ignore them and simply get back on after they’d gone.

His mother was outraged accusing the police of bullying and putting her 15 year old angel in danger by making him walk half an hour home.

I interviewed the pair on Sunrise. The 15 year old retold the story, and highlighted how unfair it was that the cops also took his pack of cigarettes. He said he asked for the cigarettes back because he knew he had rights. A 15 year old demanding cigarettes back because he has rights. You can just imagine the tone of the exchange.

Rather than his mother getting stuck into him for riding without a helmet and having a pack of smokes, she gets on the case of the police for “putting him in danger”.

This is the issue I have with modern parenting. It’s the rose coloured glasses that their little angels can do no wrong. Backing the kid rather than the authorities. It’s the absence of basic principles like respecting elders and those in authority like the police.

It’s not the kid’s fault. He’s simply following the example of his mum.

These little things bother me. The values which were pretty standard not too long ago but are now seen as old-fashioned and irrelevant.

Things like standing up on a bus for someone older. Things like calling an adult Mr or Mrs unless invited to use a first name.

I had this discussion with some of my colleagues after I explained that I still expect my adult children to address friends of mine as Mr or Mrs unless invited to do otherwise. They were gobsmacked. I explained it was a mark of respect to someone older.

My colleagues claimed adults must earn the respect of children before they than can expect to be shown it. And that is the root of the problem. In my opinion all adults (and those in authority) deserve instant respect from children until they do something to lose it.

Yes it may sound silly and unimportant, but it exemplifies what is happening on a larger scale. Parents are trying way too hard to be their kids’ best friends, rather than being the parent.

A good friend, and inspiration for me, is Father Chris Riley who runs Youth Off The Streets, an organisation which certainly deals with its fair share of troubled adolescents.

For years he’s been helping street kids, drug dependant kids and abused youth by helping them turn their lives around. Guess what his golden piece of advice for parents is? He says setting boundaries is a sign of love, and that it shows kids that someone cares enough about them to set limits and values. He says all kids crave boundaries and direction because it makes them feel safe and loved.

What I fear is that we’re bringing up a new generation of smart-ass kids who have no respect and assume they can get away with anything they like because the boundaries are blurred.

The results from a UK study this week are claiming that it’s better for a kid’s happiness to be an only-child. But reaching this conclusion involved simply asking a bunch of kids whether they’d prefer to be the sole child in their family (and get spoiled rotten). Not exactly a reliable study I don’t think, but now it’s being touted by child psychologists as new, valuable ‘knowledge’.

It’s time parents did their part, stopped worrying about the emotional fragility of their special little darlings and started acting like a parent.

The problem is that people are over-thinking parenting. It’s not rocket science; it’s just common sense. These sort of basic moral lessons may be old-fashioned, but they work.

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of other countries. The only real difference, however, is how much power they have. In America, their power is limited by democracy. To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges. They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did: None. So look to the colleges to see what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way. It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, GUN WATCH, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, DISSECTING LEFTISM, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN (Note that EYE ON BRITAIN has regular posts on the reality of socialized medicine). My Home Pages are here or here or here or Email me (John Ray) here. For readers in China or for times when blogger.com is playing up, there is a mirror of this site here.

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